Startup Growth Story ft. Naagin Sauce - Home of Original Indian Hot Sauce

Naagin Sauce brings you the first truly Indian hot sauce, made for Indian taste buds, with a curated blend of high-quality, ethically sauced ingredients.

We were joined by Mikhel Rajani, Co-Founder, Naagin Sauce for the Startup Growth Panel focused on Rising Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) brands in India.

Mikhel Rajani is a Co-Founder at Naagin Sauce, India's first hot sauce brand, he has a decade-long experience in the F&B industry including stints in Hong Kong & Italy.

He opened his first restaurant in 2012 – Francesco’s Pizzeria – now one of Mumbai’s iconic gourmet pizza chains and has a national record for delivering the world's first pizza by drone. 

You can watch the fun Startup Growth Panel with Mikhel and other founders of awesome Rising DTC Brands in India - Suraj Vazirani (The Beauty Co.), Vinay Kothari (GO DESi) and Nilisha Ferrao (Narla).

https://youtu.be/GdGZjfZPWnc

It was a super fun chat where we discussed their founding stories, early days, what worked for them, technology stack, key learnings, building brands, and advice for early-stage founders. 

Startup Stream

The eChai Effect - In Their Words

"From late-night brainstorming over chai to early morning founder calls, eChai has been more than just a network for me; it’s been home base for ideas, impact, and inspiration. What started as a simple meetup years ago turned into a powerful movement, connecting founders, creators, and dreamers. I’ve had the privilege of seeing startups find product-market fit, marketers (like me) find unexpected collaborations, and most importantly, people finding their tribe. संगच्छध्वं संवदध्वं – Let us move together, speak together. It’s not just a verse from the Rigveda — it’s how Jatin and the entire eChai community truly operate. We don’t just network, we grow together. Forever grateful to be a part of the eChai Effect.
Jaydip Parikh - Chief Everything Officer at Tej SolPro
Jaydip Parikh
Chief Everything Officer at Tej SolPro
"eChai has played a truly pivotal role in HummingBird’s journey — even before Day Zero. From ideation to establishment and into growth, it’s been a constant source of support. It connected me with incredible people who’ve become more than just friends. One of the biggest reasons I chose to stay in Ahmedabad is because of the eChai community. It has shaped my growth — both personally and professionally — in ways that are hard to articulate. Honestly, words fall short when I try to express what eChai means to me. I’m deeply thankful and forever grateful to eChai for being such an integral part of my journey."
Harsha Bhurani - Founder, HummingBird Consulting Group
Harsha Bhurani
Founder, HummingBird Consulting Group
"eChai has been a game-changer for Hungrito, providing us with invaluable connections, insights, and opportunities that have significantly fueled our growth. eChai has introduced us to a global network of entrepreneurs and experts, fueling our growth and opening doors to new opportunities from Ahmedabad to Dubai. The community has become like a second family to us, providing support, guidance, and valuable insights as startup entrepreneurs."
Sahil Shah - Founder- Hungrito & Netsavvies. Digital Marketing Evangelist
Sahil Shah
Founder- Hungrito & Netsavvies. Digital Marketing Evangelist

eChai Partner Brands

eChai Ventures partners with select brands as their growth partner - working together to explore new ideas, open doors, and build momentum across the startup ecosystem.